RLI: The Smell!!

[ka9mnx]

Originally Posted by Phishin
Why is everyone so hung up on the API license/certification?

Because it guarantees your not using "junk" in your vehicle...

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by Phishin
Why is everyone so hung up on the API license/certification?

I run a very high-end lab in the semi-conductor industry and believe me.....certs and licenses are nice to have (and most of the time mandatory in order to do business with large companies) but they don't really have much real world value.

The cost for a small boutique oil company like RLI to obtain such a license is IMPOSSIBLY high. That's why "they" (Big Oil) created such a thing....to keep guys like RLI at bay because most people won't buy or carry the product without the license. It's just part of the "you gotta pay to play" mentality of big business.

I for one am unwilling to use any oil that doesn't have an actual approval, certification or license that is required by my vehicle. Blenders can say all sorts of things but the certification proves what they are saying.

You are incorrect that the certifications and approvals do not have "real world value". That's exactly what they do have, am I supposed to believe a bunch of marketing fluff instead? So far your only actual verifiable performance indicator is that it has a nice smell. Without certifications you have nothing else, do you? In this case they display the API Starburst on their product sheet yet the oil is not on the API list of licensees. If that is true then I'd avoid that oil on this basis alone since that goes directly to trust.

And API certification is not "IMPOSSIBLY" high, that is nonsense. This is a typical excuse used by unethical businesses when they try to deflect rather than defend (along with silly references to "big oil" trying to keep small blenders out of the marketplace).

I sent an email off to RLI asking about the apparent discrepancy between their PI sheet and the API directory, I'll post what they say when they respond.

 

[Wildcard]

maybe it does not have an API license cause its not petroleum based ...‚.

i would be using this oil if they had a 0w20 in the lineup, they have it in their pcmo but i was looking for their hdeo

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
I'm personally fond of the smell of freshly popped popcorn..any chance it smells like that?🤔


maybe.. but if you run it too long in your engine, it starts to get this really unpleasant burnt smell, and people start asking "who burnt the popcorn??"

 

[aquariuscsm]

I went on their website and that stuff is expensive!

 

[CleverUserName]

I've tried the RLI CJ-4 low ash stuff and booster pak. I like their oil and I think nothing really compares to it.

It has a high density, 0.89 or 0.90 so the HTHS is significantly higher for a given weight. So if you used their 5w40 you can expect the HTHS of a synthetic 50 wt oil. As a result oil pressure is higher than normal. My last OCI there was FD and the viscosity dropped to a thick 30 wt but my oil pressure was basically the same as fresh oil. That was really impressive. I think because of the density and formula itself it really does resist FD better than typical synthetic and conventional motor oils.

The only negative besides the cost, is it seems to be more volatile. Even though the NOACK looks low on paper @ 8.5% I still see it drop almost half a qt after 3k miles. It doesn't drop any more after the initial boil off, but it should be checked periodically and topped off after a couple months. The mostly PAO based oil I used before didn't have any or very low evaporation loss compared to the RLI.

Wear numbers are quite low so it does appear to work well at lubricating engine parts though. I'd be skeptical about running it for an extended OCI because I don't know how the base oil would hold up for > 10k miles.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by Phishin
Why is everyone so hung up on the API license/certification?

I run a very high-end lab in the semi-conductor industry and believe me.....certs and licenses are nice to have (and most of the time mandatory in order to do business with large companies) but they don't really have much real world value.

The cost for a small boutique oil company like RLI to obtain such a license is IMPOSSIBLY high. That's why "they" (Big Oil) created such a thing....to keep guys like RLI at bay because most people won't buy or carry the product without the license. It's just part of the "you gotta pay to play" mentality of big business.

I for one am unwilling to use any oil that doesn't have an actual approval, certification or license that is required by my vehicle. Blenders can say all sorts of things but the certification proves what they are saying.

You are incorrect that the certifications and approvals do not have "real world value". That's exactly what they do have, am I supposed to believe a bunch of marketing fluff instead? So far your only actual verifiable performance indicator is that it has a nice smell. Without certifications you have nothing else, do you? In this case they display the API Starburst on their product sheet yet the oil is not on the API list of licensees. If that is true then I'd avoid that oil on this basis alone since that goes directly to trust.

And API certification is not "IMPOSSIBLY" high, that is nonsense. This is a typical excuse used by unethical businesses when they try to deflect rather than defend (along with silly references to "big oil" trying to keep small blenders out of the marketplace).

I sent an email off to RLI asking about the apparent discrepancy between their PI sheet and the API directory, I'll post what they say when they respond.

+1ðŸ‘

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by SirTanon
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
I'm personally fond of the smell of freshly popped popcorn..any chance it smells like that?🤔


maybe.. but if you run it too long in your engine, it starts to get this really unpleasant burnt smell, and people start asking "who burnt the popcorn??"

...‚...‚...‚

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted by CleverUserName

Wear numbers are quite low so it does appear to work well at lubricating engine parts though. I'd be skeptical about running it for an extended OCI because I don't know how the base oil would hold up for > 10k miles.


My truck was at just below 7k miles when it hit 10% on the OLM. I don't have much to worry about. But I've been told that the TBN retention is very good in this oil. HOWEVER, as an added safety net until I get lab results, one of the main reasons I'm adding Archoil to this RLI is the added kick in the pants that the TBN receives from the additive. Plus, I like the added Boron.

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
I went on their website and that stuff is expensive!


The price can fluctuate wildly on Amazon. I just check it once in awhile. I scored 8 gallons of their 10w30 HDEO for $27/gallon shipped to my house. And then I paid about $35/gallon for 4 gallons of their 0w30. So, typical oil prices you find at Walmart . But if you are worried about paying an extra few dollars for this type of oil (OMG....I can buy M1 for $24/gallon, why would I pay $27 for RLI?) then this stuff isn't for you anyhow.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by Phishin
But if you are worried about paying an extra few dollars for this type of oil (OMG....I can buy M1 for $24/gallon, why would I pay $27 for RLI?) then this stuff isn't for you anyhow.

Mobil 1 at Walmart is not $24 a gallon, it is about $18.30 without any rebate. Nevertheless that is not my main concern nor am I "worried" about paying a few extra dollars for a good oil. But how would I or anyone else know that it is a good oil? Something tangible I mean, not hope and dreams. Mobil 1 0W-40 has Porsche A40 approval, how does RLI compare? How is the resistance to oxidative thickening or sludge formation? How does it compare in regards to piston deposits?

BTW so far no response from RLI on the API licensing thing, maybe today.

 

[Phishin]

Kschachn,

I'm not going to argue and go back and forth with you....but Mobil 1 is $24-$28/gallon at my local Walmart, depending if you buy "regular", AFE, EP, etc.

People have shown used oil analysis with RLI and they have all been good results. No one has reported any engine damage or failure as a result of running RLI either. As far as piston deposits and such go, I have no information or data on that. But this oil is very stable. It's always been reported to have the proper viscosity....it seems to be shear/dilution proof and I've never seen a hint of oxidative thickening either reported.

 

[PimTac]

Adding the Archoil will skew the lab results. If the oil is so good why add the Archoil or any additive for that matter?

 

[ka9mnx]

M1 is sold at Walmart in 5qt jugs. HDEO is usually sold in gallons.

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Adding the Archoil will skew the lab results. If the oil is so good why add the Archoil or any additive for that matter?


I'm just an additive guy....I run additives in everything I own. Cars, trucks boat, motorcycles, 4-wheelers, garden tractors, etc. etc. etc. Everything get a splash of something....just because.

I always use top of the line oils in everything and I run highly respected additives as well.